Fashion: Product Perfect

[Max Murdoc]

This needs to be released on CD. It's a brilliant piece of early English New Wave.

The article below came from: http://www.rudyscorner.com/irscorner/f/fashion.html

PRODUCT PERFECT
IRS SP-002 (Released 17 Sep 1979)
Vinyl Only

Produced by Fashion & Miki Cottrell
Recorded At Grosvenor Studios, Birmingham
Art Direction by Fashion Design
Photography by Nigel Van Beek (Cover) and Bonieventure (Inner Sleeve)
Clothing by Aunt Tabitha, Jaine Farrimond, Kahn & Bell, Heather Brockelsby & Beverly Williams
Jewelry by Jenny Albrecht

Musicians:
Percussion, Harp, Vox (bass on track #12) Dïk
Guitar, Effects, Primo Vox Lûke
Bass, Synth, Vox Mulligán

Track Listing:

1. Product Perfect (Fashion) 3:51
2. Die In The West (Fashion) 4:12
3. Red, Green and Gold (Fashion) 4:40
4. Burning Down (Fashion) 3:27
5. (a) Big John (Fashion) 6. (b) Hanoi Annoys Me (Fashion){3 song medley} 7:24
7. (c) The Innocent (Fashion) /
8. Citinite (Fashion) 5:18
9. Don't Touch Me, Touch Me (Fashion) 3:00
10. Bike Boys (Fashion) 5:05
11. Fashion (Fashion) 3:30
12. Technofascist (Fashion) 3:35

Fledgling IRS Records' second LP surely must have had A&M executives scratching their heads. And Miles Copeland must've surely been enjoying himself seeing their collective eyebrows raise as he made some of the first footholds for the new wave and punk invasion of the US.

With their unique reggae-influenced techno-punk sound, radio airplay was practically non-existent in 1979. But this LP is one of your humble webmeister's favorite IRS LPs, so airplay and hit be-damned, I'm gonna tell you that this is one terrific listen! "Die In The West", which kicks off side one, really appeals not just to my California roots but, to my mind, explains why all these east coast nuts keep moving to California. (Yes, I know they probably weren't thinking about California when they wrote it.) The middle tune ("The Innocent") of the three song medley that closes out side one was (wisely) the song selected as the single. Standout tracks on side two are: "Citinite", "Don't Touch Me, Touch Me" , and "Technofascist". "Red, Green and Gold" is catchy and the lyrics serve two meanings; not just the obvious "peace, love and understanding" blatantly repeated in the lyrics, but a subliminal drug message... Think: "Red" as in Panama, "Gold" as in Acapulco, and so on, if you catch my drift. I may be wrong, but from the perspective of 1970's suburban teen-dom it seems dead on.

Max

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